Number of uninsured Ohioans dropped in 2013
Posted September 16, 2014 in Press Releases
Following Ohio's decision to expand Medicaid, uninsured rate hits post-recession low. More improvements from Affordable Care Act expected for 2014.
Bigger declines expected this year
The number of Ohioans without health care insurance fell in 2013, according to Census Bureau data released today. The share of uninsured will continue to shrink in 2014 thanks to expanded Medicaid coverage and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. In 2013, the number of uninsured Ohioans shrank by 47,000, reducing the state’s uninsured rate from 11.5 percent to 11 percent. Since the end of the recession in 2010, Ohio’s uninsured rate has fallen 1.3 points, a drop of 10.6 percent.
"Ohio is making solid progress, with a 4.3 percent drop in the uninsured rate between 2012 and 2013," said Hannah Halbert, workforce researcher with Policy Matters Ohio. “We expect to see even greater declines next year when the data more fully capture how the Affordable Care Act and the expansion of Medicaid are helping. This is great news for families, communities, and our economy.”
In 2013, the percentage of people without coverage was lower in Ohio and other states that expanded Medicaid. In the states that expanded Medicaid, 14.1 percent of people lacked health insurance, while 17.3 percent went without in the states that did not. Overall, Ohio’s uninsured rate is one of the lowest in the nation. Only 11 states and D.C. have uninsured rates that are statistically lower than Ohio’s.
The 2014 Census data, which will be released next year, are expected to show continued progress. Next year, in addition to expanded Medicaid we will see the effect of the Affordable Care Act allowing people who cannot access affordable health care through their job, or who earn more than 138 percent of the poverty line to sign up for coverage through the marketplace.
“Ohio families are starting to see the benefit of Ohio’s health policy choices,” said Halbert. “Today’s data serve as a benchmark and a reminder to keep moving forward with these reforms.”
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Policy Matters Ohio is a nonprofit, nonpartisan state policy research institute with offices in Cleveland and Columbus. Findings are based on 2013 American Community Survey data.